[senco-forum] Developing listening skills in secondary pupils

Hi Bill

Hi Lorraine

There are as you say a multitude of factors.
Firstly there are the 10% of the population who have some form of Auditory
Processing Disorder (Auditory Processing is the medical term for Listening)
And those who have a dominant Visual-Spatial learning style share the same
symptoms with regard to the processing of sound, with regard to how they
understand the world as a whole. There will probably be an other group who
are dominantly Kinaesthetic learners, but not much research has be done in
that area as yet.

The other area is more related to how our culture is moving away from
auditory based communication, and more towards Visual based communication,
with the advance of the multimedia and graphics technologies. And most
children are now growing up in this new rapidly advancing new culture. Our
most recent culture was very dependent on auditory based communication, and
especially with the rapid importance of understanding the visual notation of
that auditory communication system which we call text. Text has just passed
its peak as the cultural means of communication, and we are beginning to
return to our visual communication roots. So the question is do we need to
change the education systems communication systems to match today and
tomorrows technology, and develop the skills set required to communicate
using graphics, diagrams, pictures etc. 

The reason for the development and reliance on text was that I was cheap and
easy to create in comparison to graphics, however graphics are more easily
created and much less expensively using the technology of today and with the
expected future advances. So listening has begun to loose its importance as
a major form of communication, and will be probably be replaced by looking.
Humans adapt naturally adapt to their communication needs, and if listening
has become of less importance, then the education system needs to follow
that change, and keep in tune with today's needs. When the education for all
policy was introduced, they looked to the existing systems of education, the
universities and schools, which were dominated by text, and text books.
Hence the use of Latin for so long, as that was the language of learning.
No one ever considered why these forms of learning were not for all, but the
assumption was that if the educated could do it, then all could do it.
Unfortunately that was a false assumption, and the existence of various
causes of the dyslexic symptom, and beginnings of understanding learning
styles and the workings of the brain are exposing this false assumption even
more.

Just a few thoughts.

Best wishes

Graeme
dolfrog
dolfrog at apduk.org
http://www.apduk.org
dolfrog at dolfrog.com
http://www.dolfrog.com
http://www.ldlinks.org.uk 
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Graham [mailto:williamgraham at blueyonder.co.uk] 
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 8:56 AM
To: dolfrog; 'senco-forum'
Subject: Re: [senco-forum] Developing listening skills in secondary pupils

Im very intersted in the responses given to my request. Yes in certain 
circumstances I know it's worth seeing whether there's underlying problems. 
BUT my request was a general one - I have noticed with our school population

that kids (not just SEN) just don't listen carefully and i've noticed a 
deterioration as time has gone on. I now think that due to out of school 
circumstances kids just aren't encouraged to listen from an early age. 
There's no "family" time eg meals where conversation happens, the TV is 
always on with none really watching/listening or ther's other "stimulations"

eg computer and games....

One Support teacher I work with is now firmly convinced that kids need to be

taught listening skills she's nticed the difference too!

Lorraine
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "dolfrog" <dolfrog at tiscali.co.uk>
To: "'Bill Graham'" <williamgraham at blueyonder.co.uk>; "'senco-forum'" 
<senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 1:06 AM
Subject: RE: [senco-forum] Developing listening skills in secondary pupils

> Hi Bill
>
> For some 10% of the population those who have some degree of Auditory
> Processing Disorder, developing listening skills can vary from very
> difficult to virtually impossible.
> But as Effie has mentioned repetition can help as memory together with 
> other
> learning style skills can work around these issues.
>
> We have just added a Learning Styles Summary web page to the APDUK site.
> The Summary page lists all of the article links and downloads that we have
> included in our recently launched Learning Style Section, APDDUK maintains
> an Information Sheet section usually for versions of web site pages that 
> are
> more visual impairment friendly, and for some who are Auditory learners 
> and
> have problems using most of the APDUK web site which is designed to be APD
> or visual learner friendly.
> http://www.infosheets.apduk.org/learnstyles1.htm
>
> best wishes
>
> Graeme
> dolfrog
> dolfrog at apduk.org
> http://www.apduk.org
> dolfrog at dolfrog.com
> http://www.dolfrog.com
> http://www.ldlinks.org.uk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
> [mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Bill Graham
> Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 4:10 PM
> To: senco-forum
> Subject: [senco-forum] Developing listening skills in secondary pupils
>
> I know that may of the forum are on holiday but I am preparing my "helpful
> hint" sheets for staff. From reading individual pupils reports many staff
> have said that certain kids have poor listening skills.
> Does anyone have any tips for developing listening skills in mainstream
> secondary classrooms?
>
> Thanks
>
> Lorraine
>
>
> 